Flotation apparatus



July 22, 1969 J. o. WEINSTEIN ETAL FLOTATION APPARATUS Filed Aug. 8,1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E DOWHER CLYDE EMEDDLEYCOTT W |LL|AM R MEDDLEYCOTTBY W ATTORNEY.

v J. n. WEINSTEIN ETAL 3,456,270

July 22, 1969 FLOTAT ION APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet :3

Filed Aug. 8, 1967 y 1969 J. n. WEINSTEIN ETAL 3,456,270

FLOTATION APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed Aug. 8, 1967 Tw SWR m 55mm NYE W SWEL AN L BD V D W EM H M sw mEEM M L AOLI. JRCW lllllllll llllll illlll lllll .I llllillu ailrlllllll II II.-

\ KMN WK W044 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,456,270 FLOTATIONAPPARATUS James D. Weinstein, Philadelphia, Robert B. Downer, Media, andClyde E. Meddleycott, Churchville, Pa., and William R. Meddleycott,Willingboro, NJ.; said Downer, said Clyde E. Meddleycott, and saidWilliam R. Meddleycott assignors to Scott Paper Company, DelawareCounty, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 8, 1967, Ser. No.659,126 Int. Cl. A47c 27/08; A61g 7/04; B60c 29/00 US. Cl. 348 13 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Therapeutic flotation apparatus comprisingelastomeric foam body, liquid-containing bladder to fit cavity in foambody and floatably support patient, and air bladder secured to andlocated on liquid bladder. Air bladder contains plurality of transversebaflies sealed between upper and lower surfaces and extending in excessof one-half of bladder width. Float and bladder design provides uniform,yielding support for patient, and convenience of use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a patientflotation apparatus construction and to an air bladder device which isparticularly useful in connection therewith.

In the treatment of immobilized patients such as paraplegics,quadriplegics, burn victims and persons having cerebral vasculardisease, placement of any such patients on a conventional type ofhospital mattress can easily result in the patients development ofdecubitus ulcers. These ulcers are painful, diflicult to treat and maytake months or even years to heal. Decubitus ulcers develop as a resultof necrosis, i.e. death of tissue, which is a consequence of lack ofblood supply to that tissue. With an immobilized patient on aconventional mattress, the honey protuberances of the body at the heels,hips, base of spine and shoulders serve as points at which there isconcentration of pressure of the patients body against the supportingmattress. Consequently, the tissue at these sites is compressed betweenthe mattress and the bone, and blood supply is either substantiallyattenuated or completely cut off. If blood supply is cut off, necrosiscommences, ultimately resulting in decubitus ulcers. Also, when apatinet moves or is moved in a bed, the patients skin surface may remainrelatively immobile, such as can be caused by the friction between theskin and the bed cover. If this occurs the skin or under-layers oftissue are pulled laterally and therefore subjected to a shear force.This shear force may rupture the elastic elements of the tissues,including the blood vessels, in the area subjected to shear or may, bystretching, cause closure of the lumens of the vessels. As noted, theconcomitant failure of blood supply to tissue caused by occluded lumenscan cause infarction, i.e. death, of tissue. Furthermore, in the eventthat any tissue is damaged or traumatized such as may be inadvertentlycaused when moving the patient out of bed, the healing process requiresgreater than normal blood supply in order to occur properly. Again,diminution of blood supply because of closure of blood vessels due topressure or shear forces can delay the healing of this tissue orfacilitate the degeneration of a tissue bruise.

So-called water beds have been suggested to provide a uniformdistribution of pressure throughout the support surface of a patientsbody and to prevent any shear effect due to patient movement. Thesewater beds have required large volumes of water in cumbersome apparatus,have presented some danger of patient drowning, and

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having generally been highly unacceptable to the medical profession. Inco-pending patent application Ser. No. 488,202, filed Sept. 17, 1965,there is disclosed an improved patient flotation apparatus whichincludes a base element of polyurethane foam and a water-containingbladder which fits into a cavity in the upper surface of the foamelement, and upon which a patient is floated, on a reduced thicknesslayer of water. The instant invention presents a number of improvementsupon the apparatus of said patent application, which improvementscontribute to the efficacy, economy, convenience, and safety ofapparatus of this type.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Pursuant to this invention patientflotation assembly adapted to be used in a conventional hospital bedframe consists of a contoured foam body, a bladder adapted to receivewater or other fluid having a specific gravity of one or more, andoptional air bladder lift device. The foam body is conveniently aone-piece member of polyurethane foam, having a body-receiving cavityessentially comprised of three sections. These cavity sections are asmall, elevated head-receiving shelf located slightly below the uppersurface of the mattress, a trunk-receiving shelf slightly wider than theshoulders of an average person, and approximately the same length as thedistance of an average person from buttocks to shoulders which is thelowest shelf of the cavity, and a foot-receiving shelf of intermediateheight and substantially narrower than the trunk shelf. The bladdercomprises two sheets of a flexible material which is impervious towater, sealed at the edges to define a liquid-receiving cavity. Thedimensional relations of the top and bottom bladder surfaces are suchthat when the bladder is in place in the cavity of the foam body, thebladder can be filled with water to a level approximately two inchesbelow the wall of the cavity, and the lower bladder surface willsubstantially conform to the outline of the cavity in the foam body. Theupper surface of the bladder is provided with suflicient slack to enablethe water to fully and floatably support a person reclining on thebladder without hammocking. Located peripherally at the sealed edges ofthe bladder are a plurality of spaced darts or gathers of material whichconveniently provide an excess accumulation of material or additionalslack of the upper bladder surface. The bladder seal terminates at theupper edge of the foam body along the sides and at the foot of the foambody and at the interior edge of the head-receiving shelf. The bladderhas extended edges which are so formed to snugly conform to the contourof the mattress and is fastened to the bladder surface so that thebladder is held in place with its edges relatively fixed with respect tothe mattress edges, and the mattress is completely enveloped by thebladder and associated structure which form a sealed enclosure.

The air bladder lift device is an elongated member comprising tow sheetsof flexible material peripherally sealed to form a closed body andhaving a length of approximately two-thirds of the length of the bodycavity. Located within the air bladder are a multiplicity of flexibletransverse baflle members of a length of at least one-half of the widthof the air bladder. Each baflie is joined along its upper and loweredges to the respective inner surfaces of the upper and lower bladdersheets, and is of such dimension and location that the upper surface ofthe air lift device, when inflated presents a large, substantiallyhorizontal support surface.

Both the air and water bladders are provided with appropriate inlet andexhaust mechanisms for the respective introduction and drainage of airand water. As noted above, a number of the features of the instant waterbladder and foam body construction are intended to prevent thephenomenon designated as hammocking. Hammocking occurs when a segment ofthe up per sheet of the water-bladder is placed in tension so that thepatient is being supported by the tensioned portion of the surface atthe area of contact underlying the patient, rather than being supportedby the fluid, e.g. water, per se. When this happens the buoyant force ofthe water is no longer supporting the patient in the area Wherehammocking occurs and the hammocking surface serves to localize andconcentrate the applied pressure, functioning similarly to .aconventional mattress. Also, besides the increased pressureconcentration with the concomitant problems of diminishing or completelyoccluding circulation as discussed supra, hammocking also presents asurface for the immobilization of part of the skin of the patient, sothat shear forces can exist in the interior tissues of the patient uponslight movements of the patient, with the attendant stretching anddiminishing of blood vessel lumen size. It is therefore important thathammocking be completely avoided, for the existence of hammocking isdirectly contradictory to the purpose of the patient flotation assembly.This is essentially accomplished in three ways. First, the bladder is soconstructed that the seams of the bladder along the length of the foambody and at its foot lie at the upper inner edges of the foam body. Thispositioning is maintained by the bladder construction which envelops thefoam body to prevent movement of the bladder edges down into the foambody cavity. Movement into that cavity would facilitate hammockingbecause the upper surface of the bladder would have to turn down alongthe edge of the cavity and would therefore tend to balloon, therebycausing hammocking. Secondly, the amount of material in the upperbladder is so controlled that when the bladder is filled with fluid tothe proper level, i.e. to about two inches below the upper surface ofthe foam mattress when the bladder is filled, enough slack exists in theupper bladder to accommodate large patients and adapt to normal movements by a patient on the bladder. Also, the bladder is so constructedthat a plurality of darts are formed in the upper surface of the bladderat the bladder seal. These darts are gathers of material, and serve toprovide a reserve of material for accommodating larger patients, extremepatient movements or the like, so as to prevent hammocking.

To facilitate handling of a patient on a patient flotation unitaccording to the instant invention, there is also provided a unique airbladder lift device, which is preferably normally fastened in thedeflated condition to the upper surface of the bladder. The lift devicecan then conveniently be inflated to provide a temporary firm surfaceupon which the patient can be manipulated, and to elevate the patientabove the edge of the foam body, thus facilitating removal of thepatient from the assembly. In the uninflated state the sheets comprisingthe air bladder lie in a flaccid manner, so that the patient isfloatably supported by the water bladder. The air bladder is constructedto be sufiiciently flaccid in the uninflated condition to preventhammocking The lift device is provided with a multiplicity of transversebaflles formed of a flexible material and sealed between the upper andlower surfaces of the air lift device. Those baflles serve two essentialpurposes. When the air lift device is being inflated they prevent airfrom rushing to either end of the bladder to unduly expand an end of thebladder and possibly overturn the patient. Additionally, the bafflesmaintain a substantial planar upper surface of the bladder so that thepart of the patients weight which is supported by the inflated airbladder is uniformly and evenly supported, without undue pressureconcentrations with the attendant circulation diminution or blockagewhich can occur therefrom. This device is particularly important for usewith the patient flotation assembly because the highly mobile liquidsupport medium would otherwise provide an unsteady surface upon which tosupport a patient for conventional nursing and examination procedures,and could conform to and cover body areas being examined or treated.Therefore, it will be appreciated that the air lift device isparticularly important for use in the patient flotation assembly, andwill preferably be fastened to the bladder of the assembly. By beingfastened to the liquid bladder, the air bladder is stabilized andcurling of a corner thereof upon slight patient movement, with attendantpossible overturning of the patient, is thereby avoided.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvedpatient flotation assembly which will floatably support a human being toprovide uniform pressure distribution over that portion of the personsbody being supported, and to prevent excessive shear forces due tomovement of the patient thereof, from existing in the patientssubsurface tissues for any. protracted period of time.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved patientflotation assembly construction so designed as to prevent hammocking andthe undue concentration of pressure and prolonged existence of shearforces within the patients tissue upon patient movement, attendant tothe hammocking condition.

It is another object of this invention to provide a patient flotationunit and air lift combination which facilitates convenient and safepatient handling upon the same.

A concomitant object of this invention is to provide an air bladderconstruction having transverse spaced baffles to allow the bladder toinflate substantially uniformly and to provide a substantially planarsurface upon complete inflation of the bladder.

These and other objects of this invention will be appreciated when thefollowing detailed description of the invention is read, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of apatient flotation assembly in accordance with this invention, in whichthe liquid bladder is filled for use by a patient. and the air bladderis inflated for use.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a patient flotation unit constructionin accordance with this invention, similar to FIGURE 1, without an airbladder secured to the liquid bladder and with the liquid bladder emptyand connected to a source of water for filling.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the foam body, as used in the embodimentsof FIGURES 1 and 2, in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the lefthand head section ofthe assembly of FIGURE 2, showing the seal and dart construction.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 isa cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic representation, in longitudinalcross-section, of a patient floatably supported upon the patientflotation unit of this invention.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated aconventional hospital bed 10 comprising a bed frame and spring (notshown), on which is located the patient flotation assembly of thisinvention. The patient flotation assembly comprises an elongated block20 of elastomeric foam (best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 to 8) Which iscovered with a liquid bladder assembly 30 comprising a sealed liquidcontainer section or bladder 3g adapted to be filled with a liquidhaving a specific gravity of 1 or greater, such as water, and envelopingcover sections 34, 56, 57 and 62 adapted to completely cover the sides,edges and bottom of the foam body 20. An air bladder 80 is located uponthe liquid bladder 32, occupying approximately of the length thereof,and is adapted to extend from about the head to the buttocks of apatient located on the flotation unit.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 5 through 8, the foam body 20 is seen tocomprise a unitary member, which is preferably a cast member ofether-type polyurethane foam. Although the ether-type polyurethane foamsare preferred from the standpoint of their low weight, economy andmanufacturing convenience, other foamed elastomeric materials may beused, such as latex foams, ester-type polyurethane foams and vinylfoams. The foam body 20 defines a body cavity 36 which is adapted tocontain a human body resting upon a liquid bladder located therein. Thefoam body itself is preferably approximately one foot thick and thecavity 36 at its lowest point, i.e. the torso shelf 38, is about teninches deep. That is to say, the thickness of foam beneath shelf 38 isapproximately two inches thick. A head shelf 40 is located at the headend of the foam cavity 36 and is approximately four inches deep. The legshelf 42 is approximately five inches deep and is somewhat narrower thanthe torso shelf 38. The inner longitudinal walls 44 and 46 of the bodycavity 36 are inclined at an angle of about fifty degrees from therespective head, torso and foot shelves up to the upper surface 48 ofthe foam body. The walls at the head and foot of body cavity 36 aresubstantially vertical but are connected to the respective head and footshelves by arcuate sections. A channel 50 extends from the head shelf 40through the foam body to the outer wall of the foam body and functionsto permit drainage from the head shelf of any fluid which mightaccumulate there in the event of a leak in the bladder. This isdesirable, since some patients may not be able to move their heads andif a leak in the bladder did occur through inadvertence, accumulation onthe head shelf 40 of a small amount of water could drown the patient.Also, it will be noted that the head shelf 40 is horizontal and, as willbe more fully discussed hereinafter, the liquid bladder 32 terminates atthe inner edge of head shelf 40, so that a patients head is supported bythe shelf and not by the bladder.

The liquid bladder assembly 30 will be seen to comprise five sheets ofmaterial. The container section or bladder 32 itself is defined by uppersheet 51 and lower sheet 52, which are sealed together by a hermeticseal 54, which may be formed by conventional dielectric sealingtechniques and equipment. Sheet 51 is sealed at its respectivelongitudinal extremities to end closure members 56 and 57. Zippermembers 58 are provided at each corner of the upper bladder sheet 51 andmating zipper members are provided at the corner edges of end covers 56and 57, so that the bladder assembly, when secured, will completelycover the sides of the foam body 20. The bottom ends of the respectiveclosure members 56 and 57 are provided with zipper members 60 which arematingly united with corresponding zipper members on under-sheet 62which extends along and covers the entire base of foam body 20. Excessmaterial on the sides of upper bladder sheet 51 are adapted to be foldedunder the foam body, as best illustrated in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 so thatwhen zippers 58 and 60 are secured to fasten end members 56 and 57respectively to upper bladder sheet 51 and lower cover sheet 62., foambody 20 is completely enveloped by the bladder assembly 30. Thisconstruction keeps the porous foam body clean and facilitates thecleanslng of the assembly by washing of the bladder assembly.

The sheeting from which the bladder assembly is formed is preferablyheavy duty, flexible, plastic sheeting having a very low permeability,so that transpiration of air and water through the sheeting is reducedto a minimum. A preferred material is 20 mil vinyl sheeting, such assold by Union Carbide under the trademark Krene. This material desirablycontains a bacteriostat to deter growth of bacteria which may come incontact with the material. Of course, other thicknesses and types ofsheeting can be utilized, it being understood that the specific sheetmaterial used forms no part of this invention. It should be noted thatvinyl is a particularly desirable material because of its readydielectric scalability, thus providing inexpensive and strong seals.

Lower sheet 52 of the liquid bladder 32 is provided with a sealed entryport 64 to which is secured a length of plastic tubing 65 which extendsthrough an appropriate aperture 66 in the foam body 20, and which tubingterminates in a valve member 67 which extends through upper sheet 51 ofthe bladder. Valve member 67 is spring biased in the closed conditionand is adapted to open upon insertion of a Crawford fitting 68, which issecured to a length of flexible tubing 69 for filling and emptying ofthe bladder 32. Tubing 69 terminates at its proximal end in anaspirator-type valve 70, diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 2, which isconnected to the faucet 71 of a conventional sink 72. Bottom section 73of the aspirator valve is adapted to be moved from a first position inwhich a Venturi-type aperture is open to a second position where thataperture is partially blocked. When the Venturi-type aperture is open,water from tap 71 passes directly through the Venturi and into the sink,creating, by virtue of the Venturi action, a suction force which willaspirate water from bladder 32 and empty the same. When the Venturi-typeaperture is blocked, flow of water from faucet 71 will pass into tubing69 to fill the bladder 32.

As best illustarted in FIGURES 1 and 7, the base of a U-shaped barmember 76 sits under the foam body 20 With the legs of the bar member 76extending up about two-thirds of the thickness of the foam body and arecontiguous therewith. Fastened, as by welding, to the upper edges of therespective legs of member 76, are cross-pieces 77 which have roundedends. This member 76 serves to constrain the foam from bucklingoutwardly such as might occur when a patient is being removed from thebed. The cross-bars 77 are sufliciently below the upper surface of thefoam to prevent their injuring a patient being removed from the bed.

Referring to FIGURE 4, a representative gather 78 of sheet 51 is shownin the longitudinal seam of liquid bladder 32. The gather is anaccumulation of excess material sealed in a fantype manner into the seam54, conveniently providing an excess of available material to move inany direction around the gather to prevent any tensioning, i.e.hammocking, of the upper sheet 51 of the bladder. A plurality of suchgathers are located about the seam of the liquid bladder.

As can be seen in FIGURE 2, the upper seam of bladder 32 is located atthe inner edge of head shelf 40. In this way, during normal operation ofthe bladder, no water is present on the head shelf itself. This preventsthe possibility of motion sickness occurring by virtue of movement ofthe patients head and eliminates the prospect of a paralyzed patientbeing smothered by the bladder surface.

In a preferred from of this invention the liquid bladder 32 has securedthereto an air bladder 80. The air bladder 80 comprises an upper sheet81 and a lower sheet 82, peripherally bonded to form a closed bag.Secured to the lower sheet 82 and extending longitudinally along the airbladder on either side thereof are zipper members 83 and 84 whichmatingly unite with cooperating zipper members on the upper surface ofbladder 32 (FIG. 2). Extending transversely within the bladder arebaffle members 85, which baffle members terminate several inches fromthe seam of the air bladder. The bafile members are secured to the upperand lower sheets 81 and 82 of the bladder by being sealed thereto. Thebafl le members shown are approximately two inches high and are spacedapproximately six to eight inches apart. In accordance with thisconstruction, it is necessary that the spacing between baflle members beno more than about four times the height of the bafiie members, andpreferably the baffle height will be approximately one-half of thedistance between baffles. It is also to be noted that the baflle memberseach extend across at least one-half of the bladder width, andpreferably across subtantially the entire width of the bladder. Thisconstruction eliminates excessive ballooning of the bladder betweenbaffle member so that the bladder when inflated will have thesubstantially planar surface illustrated in FIGURE 5. The baffle membersalso function to restrain the upper and lower air bladder surfaces 81and 82 so that, upon filling of the bladder and after filling uponmovement of the patient, air will not be forced to excessivelyaccumulate in one portion of the bladder, thereby tending to disrupt thestability of the patient and possibly tip the patient out of the bed.The bladder serves two important purposes which are essential to theproper functioning and convenient use of the flotation apparatus. Thebladder when filled provides a relatively hard and'stable surface uponwhich the patient can be manipulated for various nursing functions.Also, the bladder can lift the patient above the upper edge of the foambody to facilitate removal of the patient from the flotation apparatus.The bladder is provided on its underface with a valve 89 into which thetube of a conventional air pump (not shown) can be conventientlyinserted for filling of the bladder. The upper surface of the bladder isprovided with a quick release valve 90 which can readily be opened topermit rapid exhaust of the air in the bladder. Optionally anoverpressure valve 91, set at a fixed pressure, conveniently 0.6 .lb./sq. in., can be incorporated into the air bladder to preventover-inflation of the bladder, and to insure that the bladder will notburst.

Upper sheet 81 of the bladder has a lip 87 which extends beyond theupper seal thereof and has a zipper member 88 at its end which isadapted to be joined to a mating zipper member which is located on endmember 57 of the bladder cover, thus further insuring stability of theair bladder with respect to the remainder of the flotation assembly.

The air bladder 80 is approximately two-thirds of the length of the bodycavity 36 and will extend from the head to the buttocks of the averagepatient. By so constructing the air bladder a good supporting surface isobtained without risking accumulation of air at the patients feet to tipthe patient.

The material of the air bladder and baflles preferably is a tough,flexible heavy-duty plastic material which can easily be cleaned and isrelatively impermeable to air, such as vinyl.

In securing the zippers to the vinyl air bladder and liquid bladderassemblies it is preferable that the zipper bindings be coated withvinyl so that they may be dielectrically sealed to the sheeting of thosebladders. This is a convenient technique for obtaining strong,inexpensive bonds without risking puncture of the vinyl sheeting.

In operation, the liquid bladder would normally be filled, preferablywith water, prior to the placement of a patient on the patient flotationassembly. Crawford fitting 68 of the bladder fill device is theninserted into receptacle 67, and aspirator head 70 is inserted on sinkfaucet 71 such as by screwing. Valve actuation member 73 is then set toclose the Venturi exit and water is turned on, filling the liquidbladder, such as with water 31. The liquid bladder is properly filledwhen the water level is approximately two inches below the upper surface48 of the foam body. In this condition the upper sheet 51 of the bladderhas a substantial amount of slack present, to accommodate thedisplacement which will take place when a patient is placed upon thebladder 32 and to allow for movement of the patient upon the bladder 32when the patient is lying there. Fine adjustments of water level can bemade with the patient in place upon the bladder, by appropriate movementof the valve member 73 to block or open the Venturi-type passage in thevalve to respectively fill or evacuate the bladder. During normal usagethe air bladder would be deflated and would be zipped to the uppersurface of the bladder. At such time as it is desired to perform nursingfunctions on the patient or to lift the patient for removal from theflotation unit, an air pump (not shown) can be attached to valve member89 and the air bladder filled until reasonably firm. The air bladder 80then provides a firm, substantially planar surface upon which tomanipulate the patient. It will, of course, be appreciated that a trueflotation of the patient is not accomplished when the air bladder is inuse and it should be promptly emptied by opening valve 90 when use iscompleted.

As seen in FIGURE 9, the patient 109, when using the apparatus of thisinvention will be floatably supported upon the water in the bladder fromheel to shoulders with his head resting on head shelf 40 beyond theupper seam of liquid bladder 32. Upon movement of the patient in the bedhammocking will not occur unless the movement is truly excessive, sincethe liquid bladder assembly is so secured to the foam body that theseams of the bladder will remain at the upper edges of the foam body,and will not slide down, tending to bulge and therefore createhammocking.

Furthermore, movement of the patient will not tend to cause hammockingbecause of the available slack in the upper sheet 51 of the liquidbladder, and the excess material presented at darts 78.

It should be noted that the darts 78 are located peripherally around theliquid bladder to provide excess material if needed.

It also should be noted that, as a further precautionary measure againsthammocking, a stretchable, resilient plastic material may be used forthe upper surface of the liquid bladder.

It will be appreciated that many modifications of this invention can bemade by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe spirit and sco e of the invention. For example, other fasteningmeans than zippers can be used for closing the liquid bladder assemblyor for securing the air bladder to the liquid bladder. Also, other valvemechanisms than those shown could be used for the filling and exhaust ofthe liquid and air bladders.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus useful in the prevention and treatment of decubitus ulcerscomprising: an elastomeric foam body, said foam body defining a cavityadapted to receive a human being, the cavity-defining portion of saidbody comprising a lowermost intermediate surface adapted to receive thetrunk of a human, an elevated head shelf at one end adapted to receivethe head and neck of a human, and an elevated shelf at the other endadapted to receive the feet of a human, a bladder located in said cavityand adapted to be filled with water to floatingly support a patientresting in said cavity, said bladder comprising a pereipherally sealedupper surface and lower surface, said lower surface being adapted tosubstantially conform to the outline of said cavity below said headshelf, valve means mounted in said bladder to permit filling andemptying thereof, said upper surface including suflicient material topermit floatable support of a patient lying on said bladder, a pluralityof gathers of said upper surface located about the sealed peripherythereof, the intersection of said upper and lower surface being locatedat the top of said foam body along the sides and the distal end thereof,and at the inner edge of the head shelf, and an impervious coverremovably secured to said bladder and completely enveloping said foambody to provide a removable, cleanable surface and to substantiallyimmobilize the periphery of said bladder.

2. Apparatus comprising: a closed container having an upper surface andadapted to floatingly support a human being substantially along theentirety of one body surface, and an inflatable bladder adapted tosupport the head and torso of a human body and secured to the uppersurface of said container, said bladder comprising an elongated sealedbody having an upper surface and a lower surface, valve means mounted insaid bladder to permit said bladder to be inflated and deflated, and amultiplicity of flexible, transverse baffle members extending across amajority of the width of said bladder, each said baflfle having a heightsubstantially equal to the desired inflated height of said bladder andbeing secured along its length to the inner faces of said surfaces ofsaid bladder.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the height of said bafliesis at least one-fourth of the distance between baffles.

4. A bladder comprising elongated upper and lower members peripherallyjoined to form a closed container having a longitudinal axis, valvemeans mounted in said bladder to permit filling and emptying of saidbladder, and a plurality of spaced, flexible baffle members mounted insaid bladder transverse to said axis and having upper and lower endsrespectively united to the upper and lower members, each such bafflehaving a length of at least onehalf of the bladder width at the battlelocation, the spacing between baflles being less than that about fourtimes the baflie height.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the ratio of baffle heightto the spacing between baflles is at least approximately 1:2, and thebaffles are of a length substantially equal to the bladder width.

6. An article comprising an elongated body of elastomeric foam, saidbody defining an elongated cavity having inclined walls and a shapeapproximating the outline of a human body and including an elevated headshelf, a bladder located in said cavity and comprising peripherallysealed upper and lower sheets, said bladder having an upper end locatedat the proximal edge of said head shelf and sides and a lower endlocated at the upper edges of said cavity, valve means mounted in saidbladder to permit filling and emptying thereof whereby said bladder maybe filled with water to a level about one inch below the supper surfaceof said body and said filled bladder will floatably support a humanbeing, said upper sheet being of shape and dimension to provide asubstantial excess of material when a patient is floatably supported onsaid bladder, a plurality of spaced gathers in said upper sheet sealedabout the periphery of said bladder, and cover means releasably securedto said bladder and cooperating therewith to completely envelop saidfoam body.

7. An article as set forth in claim 6 wherein said foam body is a bodyof flexible, ether-type polyurethane foam.

8. An article as set forth in claim including a second bladder locatedon the upper surface of the first bladder, means releasably securingsaid second bladder to said first bladder, said second bladder extendingfrom said distal end of head shelf approximately two-thirds of thelength of said cavity, said second bladder comprising peripherallyunited upper and lower sheets valve means mounted in said second bladderto permit filling and emptying thereof, and a plurality of spaced,flexible baflies extending across said second bladder and sealed to theupper and 10 lower surfaces thereof, each such baflle extending acrossat least one-half of the second bladder width, the height of each bafliebeing at least one-fourth of the spacing between baflles.

9. Apparatus useful in the prevention and treatment of decubitus ulcerscomprising: a support body defining a cavity adapted to receive a humanbeing, a bladder in said cavity and adapted to be filled with water tofloatingly support a patient resting in part within said cavity, firstvalve means connected to said bladder to permit filling and emptying ofsaid bladder, an inflatable member supported by said bladder anddisposed within said cavity when uninflated, and second valve meansconnected to said inflatable member to permit inflation and deflationthereof, whereby upon suitable inflation of said inflatable member saidhuman being is lifted out of and above said cavity.

10. In patient-supporting apparatus for the prevention and treatment ofdecubitus ulcers, the improvement comprising the combination of:

first means for buoyantly supporting a patient in a second means forfirmly supporting the patient in a manner facilitating the handling andremoval of the patient from the apparatus, said second means comprisingan inflatable member disposed beneath said patient and adapted forselective inflation and deflation.

11. The improvement in patient-supporting apparatus according to claim10, wherein said inflatable member has a plurality of flexible bafflemembers therein, said baffle members extending between the upper andlower surfaces of said inflatable member and being secured thereto so asto influence the shape of said inflatable member when it is inflated.

12. In patient-supporting apparatus for the prevention and treatment ofdecubitus ulcers, including first means for buoyantly supporting apatient in a fluid, the improvement comprising second means for firmlysupporting the patient in a manner facilitating the handling and removalof the patient from the apparatus, said second means comprising aninflatable member disposed beneath said patient and adapted forselective inflation and deflation.

13. The improvement in patient-supporting apparatus according to claim12, wherein said inflatable member has a plurality of flexible bafllemembers therein, said baflle members extending between the upper andlower surfaces of said inflatable member and being secured thereto so asto influence the shape of said inflatable member when it is inflated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,108,293 10/1963 King 53483,308,491 3/1967 Spence 5348 3,340,551 9/ 1967 Hopkins 5-348 3,354,47611/1967 Scales 5348 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.561; 128-33, 376

